1. Field of the Invention
Refrigerating methods and apparatus and especially those which may use the release of liquid such as CO.sub.2 into gaseous CO.sub.2.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art of course includes numerous methods and apparatus for refrigerating a liquid such as water. The conventional methods and apparatus employ the well-known gas refrigerating cylce whereby gas is compressed and expanded inside of coils to produce a lowering of the temperature. The initial investment in such equipment is quite high and the operating cost is significant. Many establishments such as food processing plants, especially those handling fresh seafood such as oysters and clams, do not have the necessary investment capital to provide sufficient chilled water. The thermodynamic principles of carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) as a liquid, solid and/or gas is well known. The release of pressurized [liquid]CO.sub.2 causes an endothermic reaction and the release of CO.sub.2 gas in motion. The present method utilizes expendable CO.sub.2 gas which can be purchased as needed and the initial investment is relatively small compared with conventional refrigerating equipment whereas the chilling and freezing takes place rapidly and the equipment is shut down quickly and restarted with a minimum of difficulty.